Roles of the Eph Family Receptor Ephb1 and Ligand Ephrin-B2

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Roles of the Eph Family Receptor Ephb1 and Ligand Ephrin-B2 The Journal of Neuroscience, March 15, 1999, 19(6):2090–2101 Specification of Distinct Dopaminergic Neural Pathways: Roles of the Eph Family Receptor EphB1 and Ligand Ephrin-B2 Yong Yue,1 David A. J. Widmer,2 Alycia K. Halladay,2 Douglas Pat Cerretti,3 George C. Wagner,2 Jean-Luc Dreyer,4 and Renping Zhou1 1Laboratory for Cancer Research, College of Pharmacy, and 2Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855, 3Immunex Corporation, Seattle, Washington 98101, and 4Department of Biochemistry, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland Dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral teg- cell loss of substantia nigra, but not ventral tegmental, dopa- mental area project to the caudate putamen and nucleus minergic neurons. These studies suggest that the ligand–recep- accumbens/olfactory tubercle, respectively, constituting meso- tor pair may contribute to the establishment of distinct neural striatal and mesolimbic pathways. The molecular signals that pathways by selectively inhibiting the neurite outgrowth and confer target specificity of different dopaminergic neurons are cell survival of mistargeted neurons. In addition, we show that not known. We now report that EphB1 and ephrin-B2, a recep- ephrin-B2 expression is upregulated by cocaine and amphet- tor and ligand of the Eph family, are candidate guidance mol- amine in adult mice, suggesting that ephrin-B2/EphB1 interac- ecules for the development of these distinct pathways. EphB1 tion may play a role in drug-induced plasticity in adults as well. and ephrin-B2 are expressed in complementary patterns in the midbrain dopaminergic neurons and their targets, and the li- Key words: axonal guidance; dopaminergic pathways; Eph gand specifically inhibits the growth of neurites and induces the family receptors; ephrins; drug addiction; plasticity The midbrain dopaminergic neurons are located primarily in two receptors (Zhou, 1998). This family is unique among tyrosine adjacent regions, the more lateral substantia nigra and the more kinase receptors in that all of the ligands are membrane-anchored medial ventral tegmental area, and project to the forebrain, form- and in that the association is required for activity (Davis et al., ing several distinct pathways (Ungerstedt, 1971; Moore and 1994). The soluble ligands lack biological activity and can func- Bloom, 1978; Lindvall and Bjorklund, 1983; Di Chiara et al., tion as antagonists (Gao et al., 1996). The requirement of mem- 1992; Heimer et al., 1995). Ventral tegmental dopaminergic neu- brane anchorage makes the Eph family ligands uniquely qualified rons send their axons to the ventromedial striatum (which in- as local guidance cues for axonal targeting. cludes nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle), constituting In vivo and in vitro observations indicate that the Eph family the mesolimbic pathway, and to the cortex (mesocortical pathway) ligands and receptors play key roles in the specification of topo- (Simon et al., 1976, 1979; Nauta et al., 1978; Beckstead et al., graphic projections. In the retinotectal and hippocamposeptal 1979). In contrast, substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons selec- systems, Eph family ligands and receptors are expressed in pro- tively project to dorsolateral striatum (caudate putamen) in an jecting and target fields in opposing gradients (Cheng et al., 1995; orderly medial-to-lateral arrangement, forming the nigrostriatal Drescher et al., 1995; Gao et al., 1996; Zhang et al., 1996). pathway (Carter and Fibiger, 1977; Fallon et al., 1978; Nauta et Consistent with the expression patterns, ligand–receptor interac- al., 1978; Beckstead et al., 1979; van der Kooy, 1979). Although tions repel and/or inhibit the growth of receptor-positive axons, these pathways have been identified for nearly three decades, the thus contributing to the specification of topographic projection underlying molecular mechanisms for the development of these maps (Drescher et al., 1995; Gao et al., 1996, 1998; Nakamoto et distinct pathways are still unknown. al., 1996). The Eph family receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligands To examine the roles of the Eph family ligands and receptors in have been implicated in guiding axons during the development of the development of the ascending midbrain dopaminergic path- the nervous system (for review, see Harris and Holt, 1995; ways, we investigated the developmental expression of these guid- Tessier-Lavigne, 1995; Friedman and O’Leary, 1996; Orioli and ance molecules in the dopaminergic neurons and their projection Klein, 1997; Pasquale, 1997; Flanagan and Vanderhaeghen, 1998; targets, including the caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, and Zhou, 1998). The Eph family is the largest known group of olfactory tubercle. We further examined the biological effects of receptor tyrosine kinases, including at least eight ligands and 14 the Eph ligands on dopaminergic neurons and their regulation by cocaine and amphetamine in vivo. Our studies indicate that the Received July 16, 1998; revised Nov. 23, 1998; accepted Dec. 22, 1998. Eph family receptors and ligands may play important roles in This research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Grant regulating the formation of distinct dopaminergic pathways and 1RO1DA11480-01) and by an Exploratory Research grant from the National Insti- may contribute to drug-induced neural plasticity. tute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. We thank W. Schultz for the critical reading of this manuscript. MATERIALS AND METHODS Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Renping Zhou, Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Pharmacy, Rutgers Animals and preparation of tissue sections. CD-1 mice from embryonic day University, Piscataway, NJ 08855. (E) 14 to postnatal day (P) 60 (adult) were used in in situ hybridization Copyright © 1999 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/99/192090-12$05.00/0 experiments. The day of vaginal plug occurrence was defined as E1 and Yueetal.• Specification of Dopaminergic Pathways by Ephrins J. Neurosci., March 15, 1999, 19(6):2090–2101 2091 Table 1. Expression of Eph family receptors in the P7 midbrain dopamine neurons Eph receptor Midbrain region EphA3 EphA4 EphA5 EphA6 EphA7 EphA8 EphB1 EphB2 EphB3 SN 2 2 11 2 2 2 111 2 2 VTA 2211222622 2, Expression below detection; 6, low expression; 11, moderate expression; 111, strong expression. the day of birth as P1. At least three animals were investigated at each staining with polyclonal anti-ephrin-B2 antibody (Santa Cruz, CA). Pos- age group. Whole embryos and brains of postnatal mice were dissected itive stainings were found in the ephrin-B2-transfected cells. In contrast, under carbon dioxide anesthesia and frozen on dry ice. Coronal and no significant staining was observed in parental or vector-transfected sagittal sections of 16 mm thickness were cut on a cryostat at 223°C and NIH-3T3 cells. mounted on slides coated with 2% triethoxy-3-aminopropyl saline (Sig- Neuron culture and staining. The substantia nigra and ventral tegmental 2 ma, St. Louis, MO). Then the slides were stored at 80°C before use. area of E18 rat embryos were dissected from the lateral two-thirds and 35 In situ hybridization. mRNA expression was detected with either [ S]- the medial one-third of the ventral mesencephalon, respectively, under a labeled in vitro transcribed riboprobes or end-labeled oligonucleotide microscope in PBS. The precise positions of substantia nigra and ventral probes. In situ hybridization was performed as described (Zhang et al., tegmental area were determined by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immuno- 1997). The optimal exposure time of hybridized sections to autoradio- histochemical staining of E18 rat midbrain sections. Neurons then were graphic emulsion was determined by exposing the sections to x-ray film dissociated and cocultured with monolayer control NIH-3T3 cells or for various time periods before dipping. For quantitative in situ hybrid- ephrin-B2-expressing fibroblasts in DMEM supplemented with fetal ization, complete sets of brain sections from different age or treatment m groups were analyzed in the same experiment with the same probe. bovine serum (10%), penicillin (50 U/ml), and streptomycin (50 g/ml). Different samples were compared only within the same experiment. Neurons were cultured for various times and stained with a monoclonal Developmental expression of nine Eph family tyrosine kinase recep- anti-TH antibody (Chemicon, Temecula, CA). The number of neurons tors was investigated via in situ hybridization. Only EphB1 showed and the lengths of neurites were measured with a Zeiss Telaval 31 specific differential expression in the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. microscope (Oberkochen, Germany). For quantitation of each sample, 20 EphB1 mRNA was detected with a riboprobe transcribed in vitro from a random fields were chosen from top to bottom and from the left to right 2.4 kb mouse EphB1 cDNA containing most of the coding region cloned sides of culture wells to represent the entire culture. in a pBluescript SK plasmid. Antisense riboprobe was synthesized with Drug treatment. From 30 to 180 mg/kg body weight of cocaine or T7 RNA polymerase for hybridization, and a sense control probe was D-amphetamine was injected subcutaneously in the neck of mice in four generated with T3 RNA polymerase. The synthesized riboprobes were divided doses over 6 hr. The mice were killed 6 hr or 1, 4, 7, or 14 d after hydrolyzed to smaller fragments (;0.2 kb) by 0.2 M bicarbonate at 60°C treatment, and the expression of ephrin-B2 in the striatum was analyzed for 41.6 min before hybridization. with in situ hybridization. To examine the expression of the ligands of EphB1, we performed in situ hybridization analyses with probes of all three ephrin-B ligands. Only ephrin-B2 showed differential expression in the dopaminergic target RESULTS fields. Ephrin-B2 mRNA was detected with a riboprobe made froma1kb human ephrin-B2 cDNA containing the full coding region in pBluescript Expression of Eph family receptor EphB1 in the 2 SK . Human ephrin-B2 has a 93% homology with mouse ephrin-B2 in midbrain dopaminergic neurons the nucleotide level (Bergemann et al., 1995; Cerretti et al., 1995).
Recommended publications
  • Neuromodulators and Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity in Learning and Memory: a Steered-Glutamatergic Perspective
    brain sciences Review Neuromodulators and Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity in Learning and Memory: A Steered-Glutamatergic Perspective Amjad H. Bazzari * and H. Rheinallt Parri School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +44-(0)1212044186 Received: 7 October 2019; Accepted: 29 October 2019; Published: 31 October 2019 Abstract: The molecular pathways underlying the induction and maintenance of long-term synaptic plasticity have been extensively investigated revealing various mechanisms by which neurons control their synaptic strength. The dynamic nature of neuronal connections combined with plasticity-mediated long-lasting structural and functional alterations provide valuable insights into neuronal encoding processes as molecular substrates of not only learning and memory but potentially other sensory, motor and behavioural functions that reflect previous experience. However, one key element receiving little attention in the study of synaptic plasticity is the role of neuromodulators, which are known to orchestrate neuronal activity on brain-wide, network and synaptic scales. We aim to review current evidence on the mechanisms by which certain modulators, namely dopamine, acetylcholine, noradrenaline and serotonin, control synaptic plasticity induction through corresponding metabotropic receptors in a pathway-specific manner. Lastly, we propose that neuromodulators control plasticity outcomes through steering glutamatergic transmission, thereby gating its induction and maintenance. Keywords: neuromodulators; synaptic plasticity; learning; memory; LTP; LTD; GPCR; astrocytes 1. Introduction A huge emphasis has been put into discovering the molecular pathways that govern synaptic plasticity induction since it was first discovered [1], which markedly improved our understanding of the functional aspects of plasticity while introducing a surprisingly tremendous complexity due to numerous mechanisms involved despite sharing common “glutamatergic” mediators [2].
    [Show full text]
  • Multiplexed Neurochemical Signaling by Neurons of the Ventral Tegmental
    Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy 73 (2016) 33–42 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jchemneu Multiplexed neurochemical signaling by neurons of the ventral tegmental area David J. Barker, David H. Root, Shiliang Zhang, Marisela Morales* Neuronal Networks Section, Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 251 Bayview Blvd Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is an evolutionarily conserved structure that has roles in reward- Received 26 June 2015 seeking, safety-seeking, learning, motivation, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as addiction and Received in revised form 31 December 2015 depression. The involvement of the VTA in these various behaviors and disorders is paralleled by its Accepted 31 December 2015 diverse signaling mechanisms. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of neuronal Available online 4 January 2016 diversity in the VTA with a focus on cell phenotypes that participate in ‘multiplexed’ neurotransmission involving distinct signaling mechanisms. First, we describe the cellular diversity within the VTA, Keywords: including neurons capable of transmitting dopamine, glutamate or GABA as well as neurons capable of Reward multiplexing combinations of these neurotransmitters. Next, we describe the complex synaptic Addiction Depression architecture used by VTA neurons in order to accommodate the transmission of multiple transmitters. Aversion We specifically cover recent findings showing that VTA multiplexed neurotransmission may be mediated Co-transmission by either the segregation of dopamine and glutamate into distinct microdomains within a single axon or Dopamine by the integration of glutamate and GABA into a single axon terminal.
    [Show full text]
  • Midbrain Dopaminergic and Gabaergic Neurons' Responses To
    Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research Topic: Midbrain dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons' responses to the aversive stimulus across alternating brain states of urethane anaesthetized rat - electrophysiological in vivo studies. Supervisor: dr hab. Tomasz Błasiak (Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology) [email protected] Background information: Ventral tegmental area (VTA) is one of the main sources of dopamine (DA) in the mammalian brain. This structure is the centre of dopaminergic pathways and plays a key role in regulation of motivation (Wise, 2005), goaldirected behaviours, reinforcement learning or reacting to reward-related cues (Schultz, 1997; Morita, 2013). Better understanding of how DA circuits work and are modulated can contribute to explanation of mechanisms of dysfunctions laying at the root of some nervous system disorders such as addiction, anxiety, PTSD or some of depression symptoms (anhedonia or lack of motivation). It has been shown that, occurrence of unexpected reward, reward-related cue or novelty causes phasic release of DA in VTA target structures (Goto et al, 2007). Those phasic changes in DA neurons activity lie at the root of forming reward prediction error (RPE) signal which encodes difference between expected and delivered reward - updating reward expectations and forming the basis for learning (Schultz, 2016). DA neurons also code response to the aversive or noxious stimuli by development of quick, short latency pause in firing. For a long time, it has been assumed that DA neurons code both reward and aversive stimuli homogenously across the entire dopaminergic neurons population forming positive and negative prediction error signals respectively (Schultz, 1998; Ungless et al., 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Dopaminergic Microtransplants Into the Substantia Nigra of Neonatal Rats with Bilateral 6-OHDA Lesions
    The Journal of Neuroscience, May 1995, 15(5): 3548-3561 Dopaminergic Microtransplants into the Substantia Nigra of Neonatal Rats with Bilateral 6-OHDA Lesions. I. Evidence for Anatomical Reconstruction of the Nigrostriatal Pathway Guido Nikkhah,1,2 Miles G. Cunningham,3 Maria A. Cenci,’ Ronald D. McKay,4 and Anders Bj6rklund’ ‘Department of Medical Cell Research, University of Lund, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden, *Neurosurgical Clinic, Nordstadt Hospital, D-301 67 Hannover, Germany, 3Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and 4 Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NINDS NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 Reconstruction of the nigrostriatal pathway by long axon [Key words: target reinnervation, axon growth, neural growth derived from dopamine-rich ventral mesencephalic transplantation, tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochem- (VM) transplants grafted into the substantia nigra may en- istry, Fos protein, Fluoro-Gold] hance their functional integration as compared to VM grafts implanted ectopically into the striatum. Here we report on In the lesioned brain of adult recipients dopamine-rich grafts a novel approach by which fetal VM grafts are implanted from fetal ventral mesencephalon (VM) are unable to reinner- unilaterally into the substantia nigra (SN) of 6-hydroxydo- vate the caudate-putamen unless they are placed close to, or pamine (SOHDA)-lesioned neonatal pups at postnatal day within, the denervated target structure (BjGrklund et al., 1983b; 3 (P3) using a microtransplantation technique. The results Nikkhah et al., 1994b). The failure of regenerating dopaminergic demonstrate that homotopically placed dopaminergic neu- axons to reinnervate the striatum from more distant implantation rons survive and integrate well into the previously sites, including their normal site of origin, the substantia nigra 6-OHDA-lesioned neonatal SN region.
    [Show full text]
  • Prominence of the Dopamine D2 Short Isoform in Dopaminergic Pathways
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 95, pp. 7731–7736, June 1998 Neurobiology Prominence of the dopamine D2 short isoform in dopaminergic pathways ZAFAR U. KHAN*†,LADISLAV MRZLJAK*, ANTONIA GUTIERREZ‡,ADELAIDA DE LA CALLE‡, AND PATRICIA S. GOLDMAN-RAKIC* *Section of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510; and ‡Department of Cell Biology, University of Malaga, Malaga 29071, Spain Contributed by P. S. Goldman-Rakic, April 15, 1998 ABSTRACT As a result of alternative splicing, the D2 gene opment. Affinity purification of the antisera was as described of the dopamine receptor family exists in two isoforms. The D2 elsewhere (12). In brief, peptide (5 mg) was coupled to1gof long is characterized by the insertion of 29 amino acids in the activated thiopropyl-Sepharose 6B (Pharmacia LKB). Phos- third cytoplasmic loop, which is absent in the short isoform. We phate-buffered saline (PBS) diluted antiserum (1:5) was circu- have produced subtype-specific antibodies against both the D2 lated through the column. After washing with PBS, the antibody short and D2 long isoforms and found a unique compartmen- was eluted with glycinezHCl, pH 2.3, and dialyzed against PBS. talization between these two isoforms in the primate brain. The Membrane Preparation. Adult rhesus monkey (Macaca mu- D2 short predominates in the cell bodies and projection axons of latta) brains were used for the preparation of tissue membranes the dopaminergic cell groups of the mesencephalon and hypo- as described earlier (13). Briefly, brain tissues were homogenized thalamus, whereas the D2 long is more strongly expressed by with 10% sucrose in TriszHCl, pH 7.4, and centrifuged at 3,000 neurons in the striatum and nucleus accumbens, structures rpm in a Sorvall for 5 min.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Development of Methods for Measurement of the Integrity Of
    Development of Methods for Measurement of the Integrity of Dopaminergic Pathways in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease1 ¢¡¤£¦¥¨§ © ¨ § £ Department of Cognitive Science, Carleton University [email protected] Bruce Hutcheon Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University [email protected] Introduction Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder manifested by difficulty initiating movement, muscular rigidity, resting tremor, and other postural abnormalities. It is associated with a loss of neurons in the midbrain that supply the forebrain with dopamine. The resulting chemical deficit in forebrain structures results in a disruption of integrated motor output. Before a description of the experimental studies is given, an outline of the anatomy and basic operation of the motor circuits is needed. The regions of the brain that participate in voluntary movements are the basal ganglia, motor nuclei of the brain stem, red nucleus, and cerebellum. The region of interest in the case of PD is the basal ganglia. 1. The basal ganglia consists of four subcortical nuclei (see Figure 1): striatum [ST] (a collective term for the caudate nucleus and putamen), 2. globus pallidus (consisting of external [GPe] and internal segments [GPi]), 3. subthalamic nucleus [STN], and 4. substantia nigra [SN] (consisting of the pars compacta [SNc] and pars reticulata [SNr]). 1 Report Carleton University Cognitive Science Technical 2002-08 URL http://www.carleton.ca/iis/TechReports © 2002 Edina ¦ ! "¦#$&%('*)+-, .0/21$,34.05(/0% 1 Figure 1: Coronal section of the basal ganglia (adapted from Nieuwenhuys et al. 1981) These nuclei participate in a feedback loop which begins at the motor cortex, proceeds through the basal ganglia (with the striatum as the input centre), to the thalamus (the main conduit for sensory information reaching the brain), and back to the motor cortex.
    [Show full text]
  • Harnessing Serotonergic and Dopaminergic Pathways for Lymphoma Therapy: Evidence and Aspirations Nicholas M
    Seminars in Cancer Biology 18 (2008) 218–225 Review Harnessing serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways for lymphoma therapy: Evidence and aspirations Nicholas M. Barnes a, , John Gordon b a Division of Neuroscience, The Medical School, Vincent Drive, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom b Division of Immunity & Infection, The Medical School, Vincent Drive, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom Abstract Growing evidence supports the notion that pharmaceutical targeting of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) systems offers the potential to treat human immune system disorders. This review describes this emerging area of research, which has the benefit of being supported by a relatively detailed understanding of these monoamine systems within other tissues of the body. Furthermore, the availability of a number of pharmaceutical agents originally developed to manipulate central monoamine function, offer many suitable drug candidates to test their therapeutic potential in the immune pathology arena. © 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Lymphoma; Novel drug targets; Serotonin; Dopamine; Drug reprofiling Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 218 2. 5-HT—the serotonergic pathway.......................................................................................... 219 2.1. Synthesis and metabolism of 5-HT.................................................................................. 219 2.2. 5-HT receptors and transporter ....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular Regulation in Dopaminergic Neuron Development
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Molecular Regulation in Dopaminergic Neuron Development. Cues to Unveil Molecular Pathogenesis and Pharmacological Targets of Neurodegeneration Floriana Volpicelli 1 , Carla Perrone-Capano 1,2 , Gian Carlo Bellenchi 2,3, Luca Colucci-D’Amato 4,* and Umberto di Porzio 2 1 Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; fl[email protected] (F.V.); [email protected] (C.P.C.) 2 Institute of Genetics and Biophysics “Adriano Buzzati Traverso”, CNR, 80131 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (G.C.B.); [email protected] (U.d.P.) 3 Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy 4 Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-0823-274577 Received: 28 April 2020; Accepted: 1 June 2020; Published: 3 June 2020 Abstract: The relatively few dopaminergic neurons in the mammalian brain are mostly located in the midbrain and regulate many important neural functions, including motor integration, cognition, emotive behaviors and reward. Therefore, alteration of their function or degeneration leads to severe neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Unraveling the mechanisms of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) phenotype induction and maturation and elucidating the role of the gene network involved in the development and maintenance of these neurons is of pivotal importance to rescue or substitute these cells in order to restore dopaminergic functions. Recently, in addition to morphogens and transcription factors, microRNAs have been identified as critical players to confer mDA identity. The elucidation of the gene network involved in mDA neuron development and function will be crucial to identify early changes of mDA neurons that occur in pre-symptomatic pathological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease.
    [Show full text]
  • Brain Neurotransmitters
    Brain Neurotransmitters Prof. Laila Alayadhi Chemical substances released by electrical impulses into the synaptic cleft from synaptic vesicles of presynaptic membrane Diffuses to the postsynaptic membrane Binds to and activates the receptors Leading to initiation of new electrical signals or inhibition of the post-synaptic neuron Prof. Laila Alayadhi Prof. Laila Alayadhi 1- Adrenaline / NE 2- Ach 3- Glutamate 4- GABA 5- Serotonin 6- Dopamine Prof. Laila Alayadhi 1- Norepinephrine System Nucleus Coeruleus in the pons, involved in physiological responses to stress and panic Prof. Laila Alayadhi The Locus Coeruleus/Norepinephrine System • Very wide-spread projection system • LC is activated by stress and co-ordinates responses via projections to thalamus, cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, autonomic brainstem centers, and the spinal cord • Sleep • Attention/Vigilance Prof. Laila Alayadhi Locus coeruleus neurons fire as a function of vigilance and arousal Irregular firing during quiet wakefulness Sustained activation during stress Their firing decreases markedly during slow-wave sleep and virtually disappears during REM sleep. Prof. Laila Alayadhi Norepinephrine (NE) Implicated in Stress- Related Disorders • Reduced level in: • Depression • Withdrawal from some drugs of abuse (NE imbalance + other NT) • High level in anxiety panic disorder Prof. Laila Alayadhi PGi: Nucleus paragigantocellularis Prof. Laila Alayadhi PrH: Perirhinal Cortex Prof. Laila Alayadhi 2- Acetylcholine Prof. Laila Alayadhi Major neurotransmitter in the
    [Show full text]
  • Stress-Induced Alterations of Mesocortical and Mesolimbic
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Stress‑induced alterations of mesocortical and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways F. Quessy1,2, T. Bittar1,2, L. J. Blanchette1,2, M. Lévesque1,2* & B. Labonté1,2* Our ability to develop the cognitive strategies required to deal with daily‑life stress is regulated by region‑specifc neuronal networks. Experimental evidence suggests that prolonged stress in mice induces depressive‑like behaviors via morphological, functional and molecular changes afecting the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic pathways. Yet, the molecular interactions underlying these changes are still poorly understood, and whether they afect males and females similarly is unknown. Here, we used chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) to induce depressive‑like behaviors in male and female mice. Density of the mesolimbic and mesocortical projections was assessed via immuno‑histochemistry combined with Sholl analysis along with the staining of activity‑ dependent markers pERK and c‑fos in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Our results show that social stress decreases the density of TH+ dopaminergic axonal projections in the deep layers of the mPFC in susceptible but not resilient male and female mice. Consistently, our analyses suggest that pERK expression is decreased in the mPFC but increased in the NAc following CSDS in males and females, with no change in c‑fos expression in both sexes. Overall, our fndings indicate that social defeat stress impacts the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways by altering the molecular interactions regulating somatic and axonal plasticity in males and females. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex and highly heterogeneous mental disorder afecting yearly more than 267 million people worldwide 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mesolimbic Dopamine Reward Circuit in Depression Eric J
    The Mesolimbic Dopamine Reward Circuit in Depression Eric J. Nestler and William A. Carlezon, Jr. The neural circuitry that mediates mood under normal and abnormal conditions remains incompletely understood. Most attention in the field has focused on hippocampal and frontal cortical regions for their role in depression and antidepressant action. While these regions no doubt play important roles in these phenomena, there is compelling evidence that other brain regions are also involved. Here we focus on the potential role of the nucleus accumbens (NAc; ventral striatum) and its dopaminergic input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which form the mesolimbic dopamine system, in depression. The mesolimbic dopamine system is most often associated with the rewarding effects of food, sex, and drugs of abuse. Given the prominence of anhedonia, reduced motivation, and decreased energy level in most individuals with depression, we propose that the NAc and VTA contribute importantly to the pathophysiology and symptomatology of depression and may even be involved in its etiology. We review recent studies showing that manipulations of key proteins (e.g. CREB, dynorphin, BDNF, MCH, or Clock) within the VTA-NAc circuit of rodents produce unique behavioral phenotypes, some of which are directly relevant to depression. Studies of these and other proteins in the mesolimbic dopamine system have established novel approaches to modeling key symptoms of depression in animals, and could enable the development of antidepressant medications with fundamentally new mechanisms of action. Key Words: Ventral striatum, nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmen- also raises the possibility that different subtypes of depression tal area, CREB, dynorphin, BDNF, MCH, orexin, melanocortin, Clock, may be mediated by pathology localized to different brain areas, NPAS2 which might be responsive to very different types of treatments.
    [Show full text]
  • Creative Cognition and Dopaminergic Modulation of Fronto-Striatal
    Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 78 (2017) 13–23 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/neubiorev Review article Creative cognition and dopaminergic modulation of fronto-striatal MARK networks: Integrative review and research agenda ⁎ Nathalie Boota, , Matthijs Baasa,1, Simon van Gaala,b, Roshan Coolsb,c, Carsten K.W. De Dreud,e,f a Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands b Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, The Netherlands c Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands d Department of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands e Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands f Center for Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making (CREED), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Creative cognition is key to human functioning yet the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are sparsely Creativity addressed and poorly understood. Here we address the possibility that creative cognition is a function of Dopamine dopaminergic modulation in fronto-striatal brain circuitries. It is proposed that (i) creative cognition benefits Divergent thinking from both flexible and persistent processing, (ii) striatal dopamine and the integrity of the nigrostriatal Fronto-striatal networks dopaminergic pathway is associated with flexible processing, while (iii) prefrontal dopamine and the integrity of the mesocortical dopaminergic pathway is associated with persistent processing. We examine this possibility in light of studies linking creative ideation, divergent thinking, and creative problem-solving to polymorphisms in dopamine receptor genes, indirect markers and manipulations of the dopaminergic system, and clinical populations with dysregulated dopaminergic activity.
    [Show full text]